NHL 2001

The NHL 2001 is a milestone in the history of the series, as it is here that the developers moved to a new level of presentation. The graphics and animations have noticeably improved, and the match has become similar to a television broadcast: comments, replays, analysis of episodes, live stands. For 2000, this looked almost like a breakthrough, especially compared to its competitors. On the ice, the game has become faster and more technical: passing, throwing and dribbling are performed more accurately, and power moves look convincing. The goalkeepers act more intelligently, although even in this part there are ridiculous missed goals, which the old-timers of the series remember well. Separately, the work of the boards has been improved: the puck bounces off them differently depending on the location of the impact. In addition to the season and friendly matches, there are tournaments and a mode that allows you to play as an individual player. It was easy to gather a group around one screen for the whole evening: the matches were short, but there was plenty of emotion. Separately, it is worth noting the quality of the commentary: the voices reacted to events, and the names of the players were pronounced, which was very noticeable for that time. Training modes and friendly matches made it possible to gather a group and spend the evening without much preparation. This part is important for the history of the series: it began the era when hockey in games began to sound like real hockey. The graphics are long outdated, but the NHL 2001 remains an important part of the history of the series: it established the principles of presentation that were then polished over the years. For nostalgia - a great choice.